Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise.Photo: Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
Tom Cruiseis a hero inSteven Spielberg’s book.
The legendary filmmaker, 76, praised theTop Gun: Maverickactor, 60, for transforming the movie industry in a video circulating on social media.
Spielberg embraced Cruise as they met at theOscars nominees luncheonat the Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles on Monday, and offered him some serious praise for his latest blockbuster hit.
In the video,Spielberg could be seen telling Cruise he “saved Hollywood’s ass"withTop Gun: Maverick, which claimed the spot as the highest-grossing movie of 2022 in the U.S.
The director added that Cruise “might have saved theatrical distribution” entirely with the long-awaited sequel to the 1986 hit.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.
Tom Cruise inTop Gun: Maverick(2022).Paramount Pictures
The film receiveda host of nominationsat the upcomingAcademy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Original Song, Best Visual Effects and Best Sound. Altogether, it madeclose to $1.5 billionat the global box office.
Miles Tellerrevealed in July 2022 thathe and Cruise had “been having some conversations"about the possibility of another movie.
“It’s all up to Tom,” said Teller, 35, who plays Lt. Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, the son of Cruise’s late best friend Goose (Anthony Edwardsin the original film).
“There’s definitely been conversations [but] it’s above my pay grade,” their costarGlen Powelltold PEOPLE in August 2022 ofa potentialMavericksequel. “It’s really up to Tom. It’s up to Jerry. It’s up to all the powers that be, but if they call me back to Miramar, I’ll be there.”
RELATED VIDEO:Tom CruiseandTop Gun: MaverickCast Describe Movie’s “Grueling” and “Intense” G-Force Stunts
It seems most of the cast would be willing to return to theTop Gunworld.Jay Ellis, who played Lt. Reuben “Payback” Fitch, saidthe cast would “love to do it again"and “love to be with Tom again.”
Working with Cruise was nothing short of a dream come true for Teller, Powell, 34, and Ellis, 41. Nearly every member of the movie’s cast expressed their admiration for the actor — and revealed the lessons they learned from working alongside him.
“One of the things that I think we all took from filming with [Tom] is making sure the audience is with you — like, ‘Alwaysremember the audience when you’re making something,’ " Ellis previously told PEOPLE. “Someone paid their $16, $14, whatever it is, to come see your movie. It is your job to entertain them.”
Cruise’s mindset, Ellis added, is to make sure the audience walks away “entertained.”
“And then personally, the one thing that [Tom] kept saying was, ‘Take it all in, just sit in it, take it all in, store it, put it in the back of your head and just make sure you’re present and with your castmates,’ " Ellis said. “And I think every single one of us did it.”
source: people.com
